Who Am I?
by CrazedAuthor17
Summary: That's the question Kaylin, a new girl the turtle brothers met, has started asking. When she meets the four, her world gets twisted upside-down. It seems like every villain in New York wants Kaylin in their grasp. But for what? All she knows is that her friendship with the brothers is causing a lot of trouble. Especially for a straight-faced Leo...
1. The Strange New Girl

**Hey! This isn't Harvest Moon! Yes I know. Sorry for the delay, but I'm having a bit of trouble writing the next chapter. This fanfic though has been sitting around in my computer for awhile. I've had this idea for a long time and wanted to write it down. **

**It's about the teenage mutant ninja turtles and my OC. She gets mixed up into their lives and, as they learn more about her, causes tons of trouble. More so for Leo than the others... ;). This does have romance, but really, not a lot of it until later on. The story is supposed to work with the 2012 ninja turtle show by the way.  
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**However, until further notice, this story is only going to be updated when I have time. If you guys like it more than the other then tell me and I'll try to update more often. Anyway, on with the story.  
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* * *

Being a teenage mutant ninja turtle is not that normal. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo know that first hand. But when they meet a girl the same age as them, completely human and what appears to be completely normal, why does her life suddenly tangle with theirs? Perhaps there's more to her than meets the eye. Maybe we should look into the first time the turtles met the girl.

It started with the new assignment Master Splinter had given the boys. An unfamiliar enemy had recently shown his face in New York City. He was called the Reaper and the team found him dealing with the Kraang, his goal being the mutagen the Kraang had made. No one knew for sure how he got the aliens to make a deal with him, but Splinter assured them that the Reaper was not a friend. The turtles' mission was to find the Reaper's hideout, discover what he means to do with the mutagen, and stop the plan at all cost.

Donnie easily found where the Reaper was hiding, concluding that he didn't even try to conceal his face when he walked around town. By that night, the boys were racing across buildings to reach the car garage the Reaper called home.

"Hurry up you guys or I'll have beaten every last bad guy before you even get there," Leo taunted.

"Oh, not happening Leo!" Raph shouted, speeding up slightly to catch up with his older brother.

Mikey laughed at himself. Raph, Donnie, and he were behind Leo because Mikey had tried to do a cool flip over a building, only to have a misstep and trip his two brothers.

"What do you think this Reaper guy is like? I've never heard of him until now," Donnie wondered.

"I don't know, but I bet he's fun to punch!" Raph chimed.

Leo suddenly stopped. "We're here."

All four brothers leapt off the building. Just up ahead stood the rather large car garage the Reaper was supposedly taking refuge in. Leo took a look at the shop and then pushed his brothers into the nearest alley.

"Hey!" Raphael protested. "What are you doing? The fight's that way."

"Ssh, Raph; I thought I saw someone coming down the street," Leo explained. He leaned against the side of the alley and peeked around the corner. "I don't see them anymore, but we should stay put to make sure."

Michelangelo pushed his way in front of Leonardo. "Relax bro. It's the middle of the night during winter. Who's gonna see us?"

To prove his point, Mikey jumped back on the sidewalk and extended his arms like he was about to hug someone. Then, just as Leo was about to call Mikey back, a teenage girl ran right into Mikey's right arm.

"Aaah!" she screamed as she fell and tumbled to the ground. It appeared like the girl hadn't see Mikey and just accidentally bumped into him. Her scream came from her surprise at the fall, not her surprise at four mutant turtles.

Knowing he screwed up, Mikey quickly backed up into the alley. He smiled sheepishly at his older brothers.

"Whoops."

All three of the turtles, simultaneously, glared at their younger brother for doing something so stupid. Before anyone of them could return to the shadows, though, the teenager began to stir again.

"Oh my gosh! I am SO sorry!" the young lady apologized. She was wearing a baggy jacket, jeans, and a red hat which had fallen to the ground the same time she did. In her attempt to readjust the cap back onto its rightful place, the girl hadn't looked any of the boys in the eye yet. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go for them without being seen.

"I should have been looking where I was going. I didn't hurt your-" the girl started. She would have finished her sentence if she hadn't managed to see Mikey's green skin. The teenager's eyes widened. "Your… your… you're turtles…"

Raph simply rolled his eyes. "Nice going Mikey! Stand out in the middle of the street when cars are coming while you're at it." He sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, at least this girl had the decency to call us 'turtles' instead of frogs."

Leo shushed Raphael. He returned his gaze to the girl who was rubbing her eyes in disbelief. A thousand thoughts were running through his head.

"_Why hasn't she run away yet? Did Mikey hit her too hard? Something's not right about her."_

Nervous about what this girl might do, Leo raised his twin katanas slightly. She didn't seem to notice, but Leo's brothers understood right away. Everyone they had met so far had screamed and rushed off once they saw the turtles, except, of course, the bad guys. They couldn't trust this teenager.

Well, they couldn't trust her until she caught them by surprise.

"You're turtles? That is… SO COOL!" the girl shouted.

All four of their mouths fell to the ground. This wasn't right. People were afraid of them. People ran from them. People thought they were freaky. People did NOT think they were 'cool'!

And yet, this one girl said it out loud. By this point in time, Leo finally got a good look at her. She had short hair, hidden mostly by her hat, but a few dark brown strands hung by her head, framing a pair of chocolate eyes. The girl also wore black glasses, except they didn't make her look nerdy or anything. Instead, she appeared to be actually very pretty.

"_Wait, what am I thinking?! This girl is suspicious. I need to focus," _Leo thought.

"You… you think we're cool?" Donnie cautiously asked.

To their astonishment, the young girl smiled and nodded. "I've never seen man-sized turtles before! It's interesting to say the least."

"You don't think we're weird or freaky?"

"I wish I could say that you guys are the strangest thing I've ever seen, but I've seen stranger," she laughed.

She still hadn't made a break for it, so the brothers were left wondering what to do. Of course, Mikey did his own thing.

"Sweet! Someone finally realizes our awesomeness without us having to save them!" Mike declared.

Without a second thought, he ran up and hugged the stunned girl. All three of his brothers tensed in preparation of the girl's freak out. Instead, however, the teenager stood silently, contemplating what to do when a turtle hugs you.

Mikey soon released her and stared hopefully into her eyes.

"Will you be my friend?"

Still a little taken aback, the young lady blinked a couple times. Then, she smiled.

"Heh, sure why not?"

"Yay!" Mikey skipped around the alley. He squeezed the teenager once more and then went back to prancing about.

Mikey's new friend giggled. "Is he always like this?"

"You have no idea." Raph grunted.

She laughed a bit more. However, the girl suddenly stopped and whirled around. Her hands gripped the backpack hanging on her shoulders. For some reason, she became very uneasy.

"Are you alright?" Donnie asked.

He got no answer. In its place, the teenager mumbled:

"Shoot, I forgot. Not now. Maybe I should…"

Her words grew quiet and less clear. Leo started panicking about what she was talking about and grabbed his swords again. Even Mikey noticed something strange and ceased his prancing.

"Friend?"

The girl turned around, breathing heavy. She looked scared out of her mind. Before the brothers could do anything, she shook her head.

"I'm so sorry! I need to get going! My parents won't like me staying up this late on my own."

Saddened by this, Mikey whimpered. "But we just became friends. Will you come see us again?"

Despite her obvious fear of something unknown, the girl smiled warmly. "Of course! I'd love to talk to you guys some more, but I really have to go now. Bye, see you later!"

With that, the mysterious girl rushed away.

Michelangelo sighed. "Yeah, see you later. Hopefully."

Raph patted him on the head. "Don't worry. Your new friend will come back… if she wasn't running away from your ugly mug!"

"Hey! She was not! Like she said, her mom and dad were going to worry about her!"

"Hmph, yeah right," Raph snorted. "If she wanted to see you again, then why did she not give her name? When you want to meet up with someone, you don't run off without learning a few things about them."

Mikey gasped. "You're right Raph! I forgot to ask her name! Wait, which way did she go?"

Raph, Leo, and Donnie all smacked themselves on the forehead.

"Forget about her, Mike," Leo said, slightly frustrated at his little brother's foolishness. "We have a mission to think about."

Without anymore distractions (except for Mikey's constant moping), the turtle brothers carried on with their assignment.

Unfortunately, their little excursion cost precious time. By the time they entered the Reaper's den, he had been scrambling to somewhere else. For some reason, he wanted to move his base before he even knew the turtles were on his trail.

The brothers only got a glimpse of him before he ran off in a van. They tried to catch up, but there was too much ground made between them. Leo said that they would just go back to the lair and find the Reaper again. No one was thrilled about going back as failures, but the turtles had no choice.

The next day, in his panic, the Reaper left several skid marks to his new hide out. The brothers decided to set off once again that night. Everything was going fine, until Leo noticed that no one was at the place.

"Great," Raph complained, "what do we do now? Wait all night on a cold rooftop until someone shows up?"

"That's the only thing we can do," Leo explained.

"Do you think the girl is looking for us right now?" Mikey asked Donatello.

Donnie rubbed his head. "No, Mikey, I don't think that girl wanted anything to do with us! Sheesh, you've been going on about her all day!"

Mikey crossed his arms. "Well excuse me for being concerned for my new friend."

"She's not your friend!" Donnie shouted.

"Guys," Leo loudly whispered, "how many times do I have to tell you to be quiet?!"

"Leo, you know I'm right," Mikey whined. "She said she would be my friend."

Leo groaned. "Look, I told you to forget about her. Either she was just saying that to get away from you or she was mentally ill. Now focus on the task at hand!"

Even sadder now, Mikey sighed deeply. "I wish she was here. Then I could prove to you that she is my friend."

"You might just get your wish Mike," Raph said. He pointed down towards the street. "Isn't that her walking by right now?"

Mikey bolted to the edge of the structure, tripping Donnie. Even Leo ran to the side to see. Just as Raph thought, the mysterious girl was strolling down the sidewalk, nose buried in a book. She was wearing the same hat, jacket, and jeans as before, so it was easy to tell that it was her.

"What are the odds?" Leo wondered.

"She's here! Now I can prove that she's my friend."

Without waiting for a response, Mikey jumped down from the building.

"Wait! Mikey!" Leo yelled to him. "Ugh."

All three brothers leapt from the building after their rash younger brother. However, they were too late to stop Mike from reaching the teenager. He bounced off a trashcan and landed right before the girl.

"Hi, you remember m-"

He was cut off by the girl's scream. While she was sucked into her book, Mikey landed right in front of her, surprising the lass to say the least. In her panic, the girl stumbled over and fell right on her backpack.

"Ooof! Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Oh, sorry," Mikey apologized.

To make up for his lack of manners, Michelangelo lifted the girl up off the ground. Her eyes widened.

"Your skin…" finally, she looked the turtle in the eye. "Oh… it's you guys again! I didn't expect to run into you four here."

Mikey smiled as his brothers at last reached them. "Yeah, we're on a secret mission! Don't tell anyone."

Raph hit him across the head. "Not so secret anymore, is it?" He turned his attention to the girl. "Your friend here hasn't shut up about you since you met."

The young lady blushed. Just as she was about to say something, Mikey butted in.

"You left so quickly last time, I never got your name."

"Oh, right," the girl blushed even more, "Sorry about that. My name's Kaylin."

Mikey flung his arms around Kaylin and smiled. Then, he released her and gave her a thumbs-up.

"My names Michelangelo, but call me Mikey!"

Kaylin grinned and reached out her hand. "Nice to meet you… again."

Instead of taking her hand, however, Mikey grabbed Donnie and pulled him to Kaylin.

"This is my brother, Donnie. Well, actually, all three of these turtles are my brothers." Mikey pointed to both Leo and Raph.

Donnie stumbled a little when his brother brought him over. Slightly embarrassed, he took Kaylin's hand.

"Uh, hi. I'm Donatello, but you can call me Donnie or Don; whichever you prefer."

Raph grunted some. "Name's Raphael, but most people call me Raph."

With each introduction Kaylin beamed even more, happy to be making new friends. Even if those friends were turtles. However, there was a fourth turtle that hadn't given his name or even said 'hello'.

Everyone turned to look at Leo who stood several steps away, arms crossed and eyes glaring. At his stare, Kaylin shifted uncomfortably on her feet. He looked so mad.

"Um, bro?" Mikey asked, "You gonna introduce yourself or something?"

Leo switched his gaze to his brothers and heaved a frustrated sigh. "I don't have time for this right now."

Aggravated, Leo turned around and jumped back up to the building they were originally on. Raph folded his arms together.

"What the shell is wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure, Raph," Donnie said. "Leo doesn't normally act like that."

"Well, that is a very rude way to treat our new friend," Mikey snapped. He put his arm around Kaylin in reassurance. "That was Leo. His full name is Leonardo. Don't worry about him; he's kinda stuck-up in his ways."

Kaylin nodded, not taking her eyes off of Leo. Mikey noticed she looked a bit upset. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Hey Kaylin… uh, can I ask why you weren't scared by our appearance?"

Snapped out of her thoughts, Kaylin looked up at the three brothers. "Sure. Everyone says it's a bit cliché, but you can't judge a book by its cover. That's what I believe. And I wasn't lying when I said you guys were cool. You seemed… like some really awesome boys!"

Mikey, Donnie, and Raph beamed. It's not everyday that they got compliments like that, especially from a normal human.

Now, both Donnie and Raph started to like this girl. She seemed sincere and friendly. Maybe they could become friends? You never know.

Mikey wanted to find out more about Kaylin.

"So were your parents mad when you got back home yesterday?"

Kaylin gazed up at Mike, giving him a look like he was crazy. Quickly, though, she changed her expression.

"What… oh! Um… yeah. I mean no," the girl explained. "They were still out of the house when I got home, so I didn't get in trouble." Kaylin glanced at a clock inside another building. "But if I don't get back soon now, they might catch me this time."

Suddenly a little nervous, Kaylin grabbed the book she dropped and threw it in her bag. Mikey whimpered.

"You're leaving so soon?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Kaylin heaved. "It's was really nice getting to see you again and getting your names. I hate to rush off like this, but I have no choice."

"So, are we going to see you again?" Donnie asked.

Kaylin smiled. "Hopefully I'll run into you on another 'secret mission'." As she was about to go, she peeked up at Leo. Her eyes dropped a little. "And tell Leo I'm sorry for bothering you guys. Bye Mikey, Donnie, Raph."

Without another word, Kaylin ran off into the night. Once she was gone, all three brothers climbed back up to where Leo was sulking. Donnie couldn't understand why he was so angry.

"Kaylin says sorry for bothering you," he explained.

"Although, I don't understand how she was being a bother," Raph grumbled.

Leo glared at his younger brothers. "We can't trust her. What person in their right mind would not freak out when they saw us?"

Donnie fiddled with his fingers. "Kaylin said that she doesn't judge a book by its cover. She seemed really nice. Maybe you should give her a chance?"

"I don't need to 'give her a chance'. That girl, Kaylin, is a suspicious character we need to watch out for," Leo protested, clenching his fist.

Mikey puffed out his cheeks. "Oh yeah? Well I think you're just jealous!"

"Of what, Mikey?!"

"Uh, I-I don't know… but I know you are!"

Tired of his brother's stupidity, Leo threw his arms in the air and groaned.

"Well what's it gonna take for you to trust her?!" Raph spat.

Leo flung around, now completely fed up with this argument. "When she saves my life! How about that?!" Leo yelled. "Now come on! I checked the supposed hideout while you were talking and the Reaper already left again. It was abandoned. We're going home."

Heading back to the sewers, Leo stumped off, practically fuming. The rest of the turtles stood half in confusion and half in terror. Leo was always the level-headed one of the four, trying to stop fights instead of start them. Why did he snap now?

"Do you think he'll ever trust Kaylin?" Mikey questioned.

Donnie shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Raph crossed his arms. "Well, I'd like to make more friends than just April and a blind noodle man, so how 'bout we make him see things our way?"

Raph pounded his fist together.

"Nah we don't need that," Donnie said. "However, I would like to know more about Kaylin and why she's walking around alone so late at night."

"Let's ask her next time we see her!" Mikey exclaimed. "'Cause we will see her again!"

Who is this mysterious Kaylin? Why is she out so late? Why does she leave so suddenly? And why is Leo acting so hot-headed? The three brothers were left to ponder these questions. Little did they know what an affect this single girl would have on their lives.

* * *

**How was it? What's going on with Kaylin? More importantly, what's going on with Leo? You'll see in the next chapter!**


	2. Challenge Accepted

Leo was mad. No, he was beyond mad. Leo was furious… at himself. Not only did he let the Reaper escape twice, but now his brothers were testing his authority. And it was all that Kaylin's fault!

If she hadn't been there to distract them in the first place, the Reaper would be finished by now. The brothers had it under control. But no, Kaylin had to butt into their affairs. She had to turn Leo's brothers against him. None of this trouble would have happened if Kaylin had only left the turtles alone.

Dwelling on all these angry thoughts, Leo paced back and forth in his room. He had refused to talk to anyone until they got their heads on straight, but really, Leo just wanted to be alone to beat himself up.

Why was he so mad at himself if that Kaylin girl caused these problems? Here's why: Leo let himself and his brothers be distracted by that girl.

The moment he set his eyes on Kaylin, her features softened. Leo couldn't help but think she was beautiful. Even when he saw her again, his heart couldn't stop beating. That was why Leo ran to the side of the building to check if it was really Kaylin. In all honesty, Leo wanted to meet her again.

But that didn't justify the fact that they failed their mission. Now, Leo was left to feel the shame of letting his team down.

"Leo?"

Sucked back into the real world, Leonardo jumped at Mikey's voice.

"Yes?"

"Um, Donnie says that he hasn't found anything on the Reaper and wanted to know what you want to do."

Greeted with this news, several seconds past as Leo pondered his dilemma. Then, he had an idea.

"We'll just go on our nightly patrol as usual and keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

Strangely for him, Mikey was quiet for a bit. "Hm… suspicious like bad guys guarding a car garage or suspicious like you think Kaylin is?"

Leo balled his fists. "Just tell Donnie the plan!"

"Can do!"

Loud footsteps told Leo that his annoying brother finally left. He sighed in exhaustion and sat on his bed. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of Kaylin.

Curious, he placed his hand on his chest. Yep, just as Leo feared, his heart was beating erratically. Just the mention of her name set it off.

"_With any luck," _Leo thought, _"we'll find the Reaper and they'll forget all about that girl."_

Unfortunately, the patrol yielded no success. All night the turtle brothers searched, but not a trace of the Reaper was found. However, Leo suspected that not everyone was seeking the same thing.

Mikey kept looking down to the street. The Reaper wasn't his target. It was Kaylin. Everywhere they went, Mikey would say:

"Nope not there. I still don't see her."

Even Donnie and Raph seemed to try and spot the mysterious teenager. Leo eventually lost his toleration. It was like Raph, Donnie, and Mikey didn't care about their mission. They only wanted to talk to their new, so-called 'friend'.

Of course, that wasn't true, but Leo was fed up with their lack of focus. Two more days of patrol and… nothing. Zero. Zip.

Each of the turtles began to feel hopeless; Mikey a bit more than the others.

"I wonder if Kaylin has been trying to find us, too," he mumbled.

Raph sighed. "Who knows? Maybe Leo's right; maybe we should forget about her."

Eavesdropping on the conversation, Leo sat in the kitchen, feeling more and more like a letdown every second.

"Guys! Guys!"

Donnie's energetic voice perked them all up.

"I got a lead!"

Without skipping a heartbeat, Leo rushed over to the purple masked turtle. Donnie turned his laptop around for everyone to see. A newscast was on the screen.

"Police have received several noise complaints from a rundown factory in east Manhattan. People have reported gunshots, strange animal noises, and even screams one night. No one is sure who made the screams, but witnesses say it sounded like a child. As of right now, no person has been allowed into the building by the owner."

"You see? Maybe the Reaper has set up shop there. We need to check it out!"

Leo nodded. "Let's go right now, before he has a chance to escape."

With that, the four boys grabbed their weapons- Leo his katanas, Raph his sais, Donnie his bo staff, and Mikey his nunchakus- and flew out of the sewers, determined to finally complete their mission.

At a quarter to eleven, the boys were dashing across different stores and buildings, going faster than ever. This time, nothing was going to stop them.

"WAIT!" Mikey shouted.

Surprised, each turtle screeched to a halt. Raph glared at Mikey.

"What are we stopping for?! I'm ready to finally punch this guy in the face!"

Mikey ignored Raph's tone and started jumping up and down with glee. All three of his brothers raised an eyebrow in worry.

"Uh, Mikey? Are you al-" Donnie began. However, he was cut off by Mikey hugging him.

"I saw Kaylin in the street!" Mikey exclaimed.

Leo's heart leapt. Of course, that's not what his heart should be doing, so Leo started scowling.

"What? Let me see," Leo demanded.

Pushing Mikey out of the way, Leo gazed down at the sidewalk. There was no one there. Not a soul to be seen. Just a few loose papers rolling along like tumbleweed. Leo gave a silent sigh of relief.

"There's nothing down there, Mikey."

"What?! No! I saw her with my own eyes!" Mikey stepped over to the side. "See she's," he looked downward, "gone?!"

Leo crossed his arms. Despite not seeing anyone, Mikey desperately flung his head around in all directions, attempting to make his friend appear.

"Sorry Mike. She's just not there." Leo laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. However, Mikey pushed it away.

"No, I know I saw Kaylin! What did you do to her?"

Like a crazy turtle, Mikey began poking his brother in the shell, accusing him of… something. Leo threw his hands up.

"I didn't do anything, Mikey. You don't need to blame me."

"Yeah," Raph added, "stop being so stupid. Your eyes were just playing tricks on you."

Mikey shook his head like nuts. "No they weren't! I know what I saw!"

Tired of sitting on the sidelines, Donnie stepped in. "Mikey, it was dumb of us to obsess about her, so forget it. Kaylin. Is. Not. Here!"

"Hello?"

All four heads twisted around. At the edge of the building, hanging on the sides, was a very familiar face.

"Kaylin!" Mikey screamed.

Not thinking, as usual, Michelangelo scampered over to his friend, picked her off the wall, and squeezed the living daylights out of her.

"Whoa, Mikey, I-I can't breath!" Kaylin gasped.

"Whoops, sorry," Mikey laughed, gently setting Kaylin down.

Both Donnie and Raph rushed over to greet the girl too.

"Kaylin!"

"Hey Kay!"

Kaylin's face split into a big grin. "Donnie, Raph, good to see you all," Then, she glanced behind the three turtles. "Ahem, hi Leo," she practically whispered.

"_Oh boy, he looks mad. I guess I'm intruding on a secret mission… again." _

To prove her thought, Leo continued to shoot daggers at Kaylin with his eyes. Just like last time, Leo's intense blue eyes sent a wave of anxiety through her. Instead of trying to meet his gaze, Kaylin left her eyes focused on Leo's shell.

"Um, heh heh," Kaylin laughed to lighten the mood, "Okay this can't be a coincidence. How do I keep running into you guys?"

Mikey put his hands on his hips. "You didn't run into us the past three days. We were looking for you."

Kaylin blushed deeply. "You were?"

"Well," Donnie clarified, "we were more of looking for this bad guy we're after, but we still kept our eyes peeled for anyone familiar."

Gratified by their concern, Kaylin smiled and gazed down at her feet. "I suppose you're curious of why I wasn't out the past few days."

Three of the brothers nodded. Kaylin bit her lip.

"Um… my parents found out that I was staying out this late and… grounded me for a few days."

"Oh, sorry."

Kaylin put her hands up. "But it's no big deal! They got over it pretty quickly and I'm out again aren't I?"

"Well I'm glad to see you!" Mikey said.

Just happy to be thought of by her friends, Kaylin practically glowed as she beamed. That was when Leo cut in.

"Hello? Guys, you're doing it again!" he frustratingly reminded them. "We need to focus before we lose him like last time."

Mikey crossed his arms in defiance. "Kaylin's not the reason it happened last time."

"Um, actually, she… kind of was," Donnie replied warily, worried that Kaylin might get offended.

Horrified by this, Kaylin blushed and covered her mouth. "I'm SO sorry! I didn't realize I was being a bother! I'll leave right now so that you can continue on your way!"

Before any of the boys could stop her, the girl dashed down the fire escape, not daring to look back.

"Wait, Kaylin!"

Mikey leapt off the building. Donnie and Raph quickly followed.

"Wha- guys- you just- you can't- ugh not again!" Leo sighed. In his own defeat, Leo dove off the building after them.

It didn't take any effort to reach Kaylin, however. The turtles are pretty fast you know. Also, the runaway teenager had ceased running. She just stood on the sidewalk like her feet were suddenly glued.

"Kaylin," Mikey yelled when he finally caught up to her, "don't run off like that! We didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please talk to us a little longer. You can follow us to the hideout we're going to!"

"That poor man…" Kaylin muttered, not listening to a word Mikey just said.

"What?"

"Look," Kaylin pointed to a clothing store up ahead where, outside on the pavement, three men were pounding an unarmed store clerk. His face was bloody and bruised, sweat and tears falling from his head. The three attackers stood tall with a thug-like air swarming them. On the side of one of their arms, a dragon was tattooed.

"The Purple Dragons," Leo explained once he caught up. "They're probably asking for more money from that clerk."

"We gotta help him!" Kaylin cried, teeth clenched and fists balled. None of the boys had ever seen such determination like this in a girl about their age (not including April who was a bit older).

Her obvious willpower caused Leo's cheeks to turn a shade of the sunset. His heart banged like mad against his ribcage once more.

"_Oh man, she looks even more beautiful when she's angry! Wait; what am I saying! Focus Leo!" _

"_We _will help him, Kaylin," Raph said.

"Yeah, you stay here where it's safe," Donnie added.

When the boys said that, Kaylin opened her mouth to argue. Unfortunately, she seemed to know that they weren't going to budge and didn't want to waste anymore time. Kaylin nodded in defeat.

"Once you get those jerks off him, I'll help the man, okay?" Kaylin asked, not going to take no as an answer this time.

"Fine," all four brothers said in unison.

"Let's go."

"BOOYAKASHA!"

Before any of the purple dopes could flinch, four ninja turtles tackled each of them. Leo took the leader who was armed with a butcher knife. Blade clashed against blade, but Leonardo's lively legs wouldn't give the guy a break. It was obvious to Kaylin who was the most skilled fighter on the team.

Raph took on the muscles of the group. No weapons needed here. Both fighters took each other on, wrestling style! Raph seemed to enjoy every bit of it. Punches, kicks, and a series of groin shots told Kaylin NOT to get on Raphael's bad side; unless, of course, she wanted to be hospitalized.

Lastly, Donnie and Mikey teamed up against the last purple dragon who, with his slender body, took advantage of his speed and agility. However, two heads are better than one and the bad guy eventually ended up in the cross-fire of a bo and nunchaku slam. Mikey's crazy nature and Donnie's cunning defense appeared to work in great harmony.

With the purple dragons occupied, Kaylin rushed over to the injured clerk. He continued to bleed from a sequence of head shots and probable knife cuts. One of the man's eyes was swelling up and turning a dark shade of purple.

"Here let me help you," Kaylin cooed, attempting to relieve a little stress. She propped up his back on her knees and took out some convenient bandages Donnie gave her. Not wasting a second, Kaylin cleaned the worst wounds and patched them up the best she could, but Kaylin was no nurse.

However, the medical aid seemed to be working. Groggily, the poor man opened his one good eye.

"What happened?" he glanced over at the heated battle only a short stroll away, "What are those things?!"

"Relax, I'm here to help. They are too. Those purple dragons were mugging you, I think, but it'll be al-"

"Aaah!" Kaylin was cut off by the man's screams. Before she could calm him down, the panicked clerk darted to his store.

"Well, he handled that well," Kaylin sighed. After a loud groan of pain sounded from the fight, she returned her attention there. Raph had made another groin shot.

"Ooo, ouch," Kaylin cringed.

While her mind was on the boys, Kaylin didn't notice a wounded figure limping out his store door… with a gun!

"Eat lead you monsters!"

Now, the distracted girl became all too aware of the gunman. She gasped in horror. His barrel was aimed at the turtles!

"Stop!" Leo hurled around when he heard this scream, kicking his opponent away and finishing his fight. What he saw made every breath of air rush out of his lungs and catch in his throat. Leo's ever beating heart stopped for a split second.

Desperate to help her friends, Kaylin jumped at the gunman. She grabbed the barrel on his fairly short rifle. Another struggle occurred, this time between a teenaged girl and an injured clothing store clerk. The full grown man had the upper hand, but his wounds betrayed him. As Kaylin pushed at the gun, he lost his balance, but the trigger was still pulled.

Time slowed. When her enemy fell, so did Kaylin. With no force to ram against, her feet slipped, putting her in the way. Before Leo could move, the purple dragon leader latched onto him, arms thrown around his neck. There was nothing he could do as the bullet made contact with Kaylin's skin.

Her cry was heard all around Manhattan that night. Suddenly, blood oozed out of her fresh wound, covering her jeans and t-shirt. The clerk, now aware of what he had done, ran from the scene, never to look back. Kaylin fell to her knees, salty, painful tears leaking out of her eyes. The air became hard to breath for her.

Everyone, even the bad guys, ceased their battle. Leo took advantage of this to fling his opponent into the midnight sky. Then, he stared, never moving, at the battered girl lying in front of him. Leo didn't trust her. He refused to talk to her. He scowled at the sound of her name.

And now… she accepted his challenge. Leo's challenge of trust. The gun was aimed right at Leo, destined to take him out if she had not intervened.

Kaylin had saved his life.

* * *

**Ooo, looks like Leo was being a jerk because he got bitten by the love bug! I tried to make his predicament similar to Donnie's with April, but Leo is more confused by his emotion. He thinks it is a distraction, which was why he was more angry at himself than Kaylin. **

**What's going to happen to Kaylin? How bad is the wound? Can Leo live with his guilt? Find out in the next exciting chapter of "Who Am I?"!  
**

**XD I'm such a dork.  
**


	3. Clueless

**I'm back! Miss me? Yeah, sorry about taking so long with this chapter. I know it was quite a cliffhanger last chapter and I wanted to post this one pretty quickly, but that didn't happen. I actually had this typed for about a week, but I was too busy/lazy to revise it. Ha ha ha ha... please don't kill me!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  
**

* * *

"Oooow," Kaylin cried weakly.

"Kaylin!"

All four brothers, even Leo, forgot all about the purple dragons- who scampered the heck out of there- and rushed over to aid their friend, her body limp on the sidewalk. Donnie was the best doctor of the team, so he quickly took Kaylin in his arms to examine her wounds.

As Donatello scrutinized her, tears continued to fall out of Kaylin's now bloodshot eyes. Her chest rose rapidly for short breaths of air. Suddenly, the oxygen in the atmosphere didn't agree with Kaylin. After their terrible beating, Kaylin's clothes were dirty and torn in several places, but no skin was visible through all the red ooze. Blood painted the walkway around the girl in a small circle.

Leo watched in horror as Kaylin suffered. _"Her blood paints the walkway." _

Now, his chest swelled with guilt. If Kaylin died that night, it was because _he_ made her run off and find the gang attacking the clerk. _He_ would have caused her death. And for what? What did Kaylin really do wrong? Befriend Leo's brothers? That wasn't a crime and Kaylin definitely didn't deserve to die!

"_But she won't die!" _Leo screamed in his head, _"Not now, not ever! And I'll make sure of it!"_

"Kaylin?"

From the sound of Donnie's voice, their friend opened her eyes. To give them one less thing to worry about, Kaylin forced her tears to dry up and stay behind. She peered at Donnie for one second, and then switched to Mikey and Raph. Finally, Kaylin gazed relentlessly at Leo, causing him to feel just as uncomfortable as he made her feel a few minutes ago.

"Are you alright?" Mikey asked anxiously.

For a moment, Kaylin simply glared at the ground, like she wanted to hit something. But then, her legs found their motive. Kaylin began shifting her weight on her feet again, attempting to stand up and stop looking like a helpless person.

Before she could even sit up all the way, though, Kaylin winced and stopped all her movement.

"Whoa," Donnie cooed, "don't try to get up right now."

Mikey whimpered like a sad puppy. "Is she going to be alright, bro?"

He didn't answer, but Donnie smiled at Kaylin in a comforting way. "You're very lucky. That bullet could have punctured any number of vital organs, but it merely grazed your chest."

Donnie took hold of Kaylin's left arm. As she recoiled, Kaylin cried out once more.

"Sorry about that," Donnie explained, "When you fell, after it scraped your torso, the bullet lodged itself into your arm. There won't be any permanent damage, but it looks like your humerus bone is fractured. I- just need to- remove the- pellet-"

"OW!"

"There," Donnie held up a bloody round object, "much better."

"Speak for yourself," Kaylin mumbled.

For the first time in awhile, everyone laughed. The air felt much lighter.

In next to no time, Donnie had cleaned and wrapped up Kaylin's chest and arm wounds. Feeling a great deal better, the girl cautiously lifted herself up and took a few practice steps. Everything looked fine. Kaylin turned around and gave the boys a thumbs-up.

Mikey practically flew over to his friend. "You saved our lives! Thank you! Kaylin, from now on, you are officially one of our bros!"

"Ha, ouch! Arm, arm!" Kaylin said.

"Whoops, sorry," Mikey laughed.

"Yeah, you're absolutely our friend now!" Donnie exclaimed.

"Mm hm," Raph approved.

"I agree."

Four heads whirled around to face a blue-masked turtle. The whole time, Leo had stood still and stared at his brothers and Kaylin. A thousand thoughts, once again, seemed to weigh on his mind. But Kaylin had accepted Leo's challenge and beaten it. Time to swallow his pride.

"Ahem, you saved our lives today, so I think we can trust you."

"You think?!" Raph griped. "Even after that, you're still as arrogant as ever!"

An epic glare-off occurred between the two turtles. However, Leo sighed, silently agreeing that Kaylin deserved more than that.

"I _know_ we can trust you," Leo decided, "and… I am sorry for my… rude behavior lately."

In all honesty, he probably could have been more sincere, but Kaylin glowed as bright as a star when she heard his apology. She shook her head softly.

"Don't worry about it. You guys barely know me. I don't expect you to trust me completely."

Kaylin gave a reassuring smile and, for once, Leo smiled back. It only took some purple dragons and a bullet to kick-start their friendship.

However, Kaylin just then remembered something very important. "Oh jeez, I forgot. Don't you guys have a mission or something to do?"

Leo mentally smacked himself. After the purple dragons showed up, his brain became completely focused on them and disregarded the Reaper entirely. Even Mikey started getting a little bit serious.

"Oh shell! We're not even at the hideout yet and it's been, like, an hour! We gotta get moving."

"Hold on!" Donnie intervened, "I haven't given Kaylin some more bandages for her wounds."

Kaylin shook her head. "It's alright. I'll, uh… get some at home!" She ran over to her backpack lying nearly forgotten on the side. "You guys just do your thing."

Raph pulled out his sais, spinning them with a dramatic flare. A wild grin crossed his face.

"It's about time. Come on, let's pound this Reaper guy."

Kaylin stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened to the size of baseballs and she bit her lip. Suddenly, her breathing was slow and shallow again.

"D-did you ju-just say 'Reaper'?" Kaylin stuttered nervously.

Donnie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, he's the man we've been after since we first ran into you, actually. What's wrong?"

Kaylin averted her gaze. Confused, the four boys stared in concern at their friend. Her fist clenched and unclenched.

"_They know about the Reaper! Doesn't that settle it, Kaylin? Should I do it? I mean, I trust them… b-but what if they… could they still…" _Kaylin thought desperately. Slowly, she exhaled all her worries. _"Forget that, I'm doing it. I can't handle this on my own. However… I can't do it now." _

Before she changed her mind again, Kaylin swung her backpack over and marched forward to the turtles. A look between a mix of determination and doubt appeared on her face.

"Okay," Kaylin started, "I know this is going to sound crazy, but… I need to talk to you guys about something."

"Huh?" all four said in unison.

Kaylin continued to clarify. "It's _really _important, but I wasn't sure if I could tell you until now."

Raph folded his arms. "Well, what is it you need to say?"

Kaylin shook her head fiercely. "I can't explain it here or now. You four have a mission, so tell you what: meet me a block down- near the sushi restaurant- tomorrow night and I'll tell you everything. I'll even tell you why I can't do it tonight, but please do this for me!"

Raph turned his head down, considering the request. Both Mikey and Donnie scratched their heads in totally confusion. With these body language clues, Kaylin became worried that she was asking too much of them after such little time they had been together. However, Leo came to Kaylin's rescue.

"Of course," Leo affirmed. "We'll help in anyway we can, don't you worry."

After he said this, Kaylin's eyes filled with gratitude. Before she could stop herself, Kaylin leaped at Leo and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you! You have no idea how much that helps me!"

Half listening, Leo's cheeks burned a violent red. His heart threatened to burst out of his ribcage from how close Kaylin got to him. In his surprise, Leo never returned the hug, but Kaylin didn't care.

Still smiling brightly, Kaylin released the turtle from his uncomfortable squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

In an overjoyed fashion, the girl left the brothers to return to where ever she lived. That thought woke Mikey up.

"Shoot, I forgot to ask where she lives. It'd be cool to hang out more often and not when we're on missions."

The three other boys nodded. However, Leo had moved an inch since Kaylin had left. Confused on why they hadn't heard an order, Mikey pushed on Leo's arm.

"Uh, bro?"

No response.

"Yo, bro?!"

Dead Silence.

"DUDE, WAKE UP!"

"Huh?" Leo shook his blank face off. When had he started spacing out? And why did his face feel so hot?

"Whoa dude, why are you blushing?" Mikey asked, curiously poking at his face.

Leo grabbed the probing fingers and bent them away, much to the distress of Michelangelo.

"Ow, jeez, sorry for asking!"

Leo glared him silent. "Just follow my lead."

Like nothing had just happened, the leader of the team leapt back onto a building before a pedestrian came along. After the noise they had recently made, Leo was in fact surprised no one had shown up, but he wasn't going to push his luck.

The three younger brothers got the hint and pursued without a complaint. The once pitch black night sky, littered with stars, was beginning to lighten as the sun rose up. Time was almost out.

"As soon as we reach the place, Donnie look for a way in that won't alert any guards or citizens. Stealth is our most important ally right now."

"Right," Donnie agreed.

"Raph, you and I will take out any guards that we see- without causing a din- once we're inside."

"You got it."

"Mikey, you're the fastest, so try to find out where the Reaper is hiding in the place if we don't- and… he's… not… here," Leo realized. Right in front of them was the supposed hideout, glistening in all its run down glory. However, all the lights were off, the windows were boarded, and police tape wrapped itself around every corner. The walls were a mixture of faded brown and bright yellow. Only the outside was visible, but one thing was clear: no one was inside.

Leo dropped his shoulders. _"It happened again! I'm detecting an annoying pattern here!"_

Raph threw his sais down hard, resulting in a loud clank. "Ugh! Am I EVER gonna be able to hit this guy?!"

Wondering that himself, Leo placed a three-fingered hand on his brother's shoulder. When his own blue eyes locked with Raph's green ones, an understanding passed through. They were late because helping a friend was more important. Kaylin seemed to appreciate that when she took a bullet for the turtles, despite the obvious differences between their species.

"We'll get him the next time Raph," Leo assured him. "Let's go home."

* * *

Back at the lair, Leonardo sat in front of a blank TV screen, lost in thought. Everything that had happened the past few days left a strange felling inside his chest. Any notion of Kaylin only increased the sensation. What was up with his mind? Why did Leo suddenly want to help Kaylin in anyway he could? She was beautiful yes, but how did that affect him?

As if the universe wanted to answer his question, Mikey walked into the room. "Um, Leo? Why are you blushing so much?"

At his question, Leo looked shocked and almost offended. "I'm not blushing. I'm just… thinking."

Mikey cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, giving the appearance of a curious child. "What are you thinking about?"

Before he could stop his mouth, Leo spilt the beans. "Kaylin…"

Mikey's face split into a gigantic grin. Raph, who was eavesdropping on the conversation, smiled slyly and put down his magazine. He pranced over to the conch and set himself right by Leo, grinning like a mad man. Leo might have been smart and talented in martial arts, but he had no clue about feelings, and that was what Raph was counting on.

"So, have you been thinking a lot about Kaylin lately?" Raph questioned, already knowing what the end result of this discussion would be.

"Well… yeah," Leo admitted.

"Do you find her cute or pretty?" Mikey urged.

Leo blushed even more crimson now. "Don't you guys find her kind of cute?"

Raph's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'll take that as a yes. One last question," the red-masked turtle whirled around, "YO, DONNIE GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!"

"I'm coming you don't have to yell!" Donnie shouted from another room.

Shortly after, the young brother stood in the room, half focused on tinkering with some machine, and half focused on glaring at his sibling. "I'm here now; what do you want?"

Raph smiled sweetly. This action caused all three of his brothers to recoil in horror. Raph doesn't smile 'sweetly' unless he was about to cause pain, misery, or embarrassment.

"Donnie please describe to Leo what you felt when you first laid eyes on April."

Still a little scared, Donatello raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need to do that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll make that gap between your teeth even bigger," Raph threatened, still talking in a charming voice.

Donnie's eyes widened. He covered his mouth in fear and nodded his head fiercely. "Okay, okay!" Turning his attention to Leo, Donnie sighed slightly, embarrassed by this command, "When I first saw April, I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen- I told you guys that."

Donnie's brother nodded, still a little confused on the whole situation.

"Anyway, my heart started racing, my thoughts were clouded, and I got nervous around her most of the time. I wanted to do anything to help her when she and her dad got kidnapped. There; that's what I felt!"

Satisfied by his answers, Raph smiled warmly to Donnie once again, which was replied to with a small 'eep' from the turtle. Raph patted Leo on the shell.

"Does any of that stuff sound like something that happened to you when you met Kaylin?"

Finally understanding what the question was for, Donnie smirked at Mikey, who returned with a devious chuckled. Leo, however, didn't move. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Yes, that's exactly what happens when I see Kaylin. And when she's not around, I can't stop thinking about her. My mind gets foggy and- and…"

Leo paused at the sight of his brothers smug faces. Each of them was staring at the eldest in an endless way that made him very self-conscious. When their gaze became too much, Leo avoided their eyes and started panicking.

"Why are you guys smirking at me? What does me thinking about Kaylin prove?"

Mikey started laughing like crazy. Donnie shook his head at Leo's naivety. Raph, in all his smug glory, was the only one who answered.

"You have a crush on Kaylin!"

* * *

**What is the big secret that Kaylin is keeping? How is she connected to the Reaper? How is Leo going to react to knowing that he has a crush? You'll find out next chapter!**

**And... I'll try not to take several months to do it. -_-'  
**


End file.
